Register and alarm mechanism for telephone toll apparatus



PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

G. A. LONG. REGISTER AND ALARM MECHANISM EOE TELEPHONE TOLL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.8, 1.902.

H0 MODEL.

CONDENSER No. 770,377. Patented September 20, I304.

NITED STATES ATENT rerun.

GEORGE A. LONG, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRAY TELEPHONE PAY STATION COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

REGISTER AND ALARM MECHANISM FOR TELEPHONE TOLL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,377, dated September 20, 1904.

Application filed November 8, 1902. Serial No. 130,545. (No model.)

T all whom it y 007L067! which the several parts and circuits are wired. Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lone, a citi- It is suflicient for the purposes herein to state Zen of the United States, and a resident of that there are really two circuits of different Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State character embodied in the instrument, one a of Connecticut, have invented certain new and call-circuit and anothera talking-circuit. The 5 5 useful Improvements in Register and Alarm toll-signal device is connected up to operate Mechanism for Telephone Toll Apparatus, of in conjunction with the talking-circuit. The which the following is a specification. source of electricity for both of these circuits My invention relates to that class of teleis arranged at the central station and of course phones in which the user indicates to the cenmore or less remote from the individual sub- 60 tral office that some imposed requirement for scribers instrument. It will thus be seen that the use of the telephone has been performed there is no opportunity of failure to record by him; and the object of my invention is to the use of the instrument, for unless the inprovide an extremely simple and compact dedividual instruments are in operative condivice for securing this end and also one that tion it will be impossible to call the central 6 5 will prohibit the fraudulent use of the instruoifice, and of course it is not necessary for the ment or one in which only the means for insubscriber to register the use of the instrudicating to the central ofiice that the prement until called upon to do so by the censcribed requirements have been complied with tral operator. In other words, whenever the can be employed. A form of device in the telephone is in operative condition the signal 7 use of which these objects may be attained is and registering apparatus must come into play illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in if the instrument be used. which- It is to be noted that the signal device and Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion registering mechanism are self-contained and of a set of telephone instruments to which my so arranged that the whole structure may be 75 improved device is attached with the casing readily applied to or removed from any inof the indicator broken away to show construment without in any way interfering with struction. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the indithe Wiring of the instrument or the normal cator with the casing removed. Fig; 3 is an arrangement and operation of its parts. In edge view of the same. Fig. 4c is an edge fact, it is simply applied to the ordinary tele- 30 view in a plane at right angles to the plane of phone instrument and its signaling-wires conview of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view in section nected to the incoming wires of the instruthrough the device. Fig. 6 isadiagram view ment at the regular binding-post.

showing the relative arrangement of parts and In the diagram view shown in Fig. 6 there circuits. is illustrated the general circuits of the 1n- 5 My improved toll-signal as illustrated and strument and the position of the register and described herein is particularly adapted for alarm mechanism, and it will be seen from use in connection with the central-energy this diagram that although an attempt be system of telephones now in common use. made to use the register when the receiver- 4 The toll-signal employs in its operation the hook is down no sound will be transmitted 9 current of electricity used in the operation of through the instrument until the receiver is the talking-circuit of the telephone; but the removed from the hook and the energizingdevice is so constructed and arranged as not circuit for the transmitter and receiver is passto change in any respect the parts of the teleing through said parts.

phone, but is merely an addition thereto and In the accompanying drawings a portion of effects only for the instant it is being used the a set of telephone instruments common to the operation of the parts common to the regular central-energy system has been shown.

' telephone set. The central-energy system is In said drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a so well known in the art as to need no minute binding-post connected with the wire for con- 5 description or illustration as to the manner in ducting the current inward, and 2 a binding- 1 post connected with the wire for conducting the current outward from the telephone set.

The numeral 3 indicates the receiver adapted to be hung on the switch-hook 4c in the usual manner, and the numeral 5 indicates the transmitter, and the numeral 6 the signalbells used for calling, which for convenience may be called the subscribers signal.

The numeral 7 indicates a binding-post located between the binding-posts that conduct the current inward and outward. All of the parts are connected up and wired in a wellknown manner, and for this reason the wiring and operation of the several parts, except as needed to illustrate my invention, will be omitted, as it will be readily understood by any one skilled in the art. The binding-post 7 is connected with the binding-post 2, as shown, and the current for operating the signal passes in at the binding-post 1 and after passing through the instrument and the signal passes out through the binding-posts 7 and 2.

The numeral 8 indicates the casing of my improved signal boX and register, within which the operating mechanism is located. An opening 9 is formed in the front wall of the boX through which the number on the register may be observed, and a plunger 10, also projecting through the wall of the casing, is employed for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Signal binding-posts 11 and 12 are mounted on the casing and are connected by wires with the binding-posts 1 and 7, respectively, as shown. The casing is attached by its base 13 to the back board of the telephone instrument in any convenient manner, preferably directly above the transmitter-base.

A signal device 14L is mounted on the base, and this signal may consist of any well-known form of device employed for the purpose of emitting audible signals. In the form chosen for illustrating my invention I have selected the well-known buzzer. In adopting this device for the purpose in hand a connection 15 extends from the binding-post 11 to the binding-post 16 of the buzzer, and a buzzercontact 17 is mounted on the binding-post 18. This buzzer-contact is provided with an insulating material on its upper face, and it is re silientl y held out of engagement with the basecontact 19. This base-contact is insulated from the base, and each of the binding-posts 11 and 12 are also insulated from the base, so that a current of electricity passing in through the binding-post 11 through the buzzer and through the two contacts 17 and 19 and out at the binding post. 12 will be free from any obstruction by contact with the base, but willfreely travel through the course designed for it.

A register 20 is mounted on the base, preferably located on the buzzer. This register may be of any well-known form, preferably that in which there are a number of disks arranged side by side and bearing a series of numbers and which disks have a step-by-step movement to bring successive numerals into view and are so connected as' to register and denote the series of tens, hundreds, &c., of numbers on the disks. A shaft 21 is employed for operating the disks, and an arm 22 is connected to this shaft as a means of oscillating it.

The plunger 10 extends through a bearing 23, and its inner end is adapted to engage with the insulated surface of the buzzer-contact 17, the plunger being held normally at the outer limit of its play by a plunger-spring 2 1. A register-spring 25 holds the registerarm in a normal position of rest. The plunger has an arm 26 overlying and adapted to engage the register-arm 22 when the plunger is pushed inward, the latter moving to an eX- tent sufficient to cause the succeeding numbers on the dials of the register to be brought into view.

The operation of the device is as follows: The central oflice is called in the usual manner by removing the receiver 3 from the hook 1. The lifting of the outer end of the hook breaks the signaling-circuit which passes in at the post 1 and out through the posts 7 and 2. When it is ascertained that the desired connection can be obtained, the central office instructs the operator to make the required signal. This is done by pushing in on the plunger 10 and throwing the buzzer-contact and base-contacts 17 and 19 into engagement. This establishes a connection between the binding-posts 1 and 7, through-which passes the direct current of the talking-circuit, and this operates the buzzer, which is distinctly heard by the operator at the central oflice. It is of course apparent that the buzzer is in shunt connection with the talking-circuit and will only be operative when said circuit is ready for use. Thisinward movement of the plunger has also moved the register, which indicates the use of the instrument.

I have illustrated in the specification one embodiment of my invention; but I do not wish it to be understood that the scope of the invention is limited to the application or mode of operation shown and described more than is necessary in view of the prior art.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a set of telephone instruments including a call-circuit and a talking-circuit, both actuated by a source of power at a central station remote from the instrument and including a switch-hook for controlling the passage of energy through the callcircuit and talking-circuit, a self-contained and bodily-removable signaling and registering device, binding-posts upon the telephone instrument to receive the incoming line-wires, said bodily-removable signaling and registering device secured to the instrument adjacent to the binding-posts and having electrical connections with said binding-posts whereby the signal device is actuated by the energy of the talking-circuit When said circuit is made operative by the release of the switch-hook, a plunger connected with the registering device and adapted upon predetermined depression to close a circuit for the signal device, and normally open contacts for closing an electrical circuit through the signal device.

2. In combination With a set of telephone instruments, a self-contained and bodily-removable signaling and registering device including a base adapted to be secured to the front board of the telephone instrument adjacent to the incoming line-Wires, a buzzer mounted in a metallic case upon the base, a register secured to the base and having a projecting part of its casing forming a guide for a plunger, aspring-retained plunger arranged to slide in said support and having a projecting arm, an arm for the register underlying the projecting arm of the plunger, a pair of contacts, one mounted upon the casing of the buzzer, the other mounted upon and insulated from the supporting-base and underlying the end of the plunger, and connections intermediate said contacts and the incoming line- Wires adapted to pass a current of electricity through the buzzer upon a depression of the plunger.

GEORGE A. LONG. Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. JENKINS, ERMA P. CoFFRIN. 

